“CORRUPTIVE INFLUENCE”

Evening Star, Issue 26043, 6 March 1947, Page 8

“CORRUPTIVE INFLUENCE”

RACE INSPECTOR ON THE "BOOKIES” FINES NO DETERRENT, BUT GOAL EFFECTIVE (P.A.) WELLINGTON. March 6. Mr A. E. S. Ward, chief racecourse inspector to the New Zealand Racing Conference, was the first witness called by the Gaming Commission this morning. He said that since "he was appointed in 1921 4,937 people had been warned off racecourses by himself and his staff, averaging 200 annually in the past five or six years-. Speaking generally, he said to Mr E. D. Blundell, for the Racing Conference, that he regarded bookmakers as a bad influence. As a class they had been regarded by the officials : and ethers as a corruptive influence. The restrictions regarding the - publication of dividends were undoubtedly superfluous, he said, and bookmakers regarded fines as license fees rather than penalties. He knew some who would rather pay. £I,OOO than do 24 hours in gaol. He knew two bookmakers who were gaoled for a second offence and had given up bookmaking altogether. Notwithstanding licensing of bookmakers, illegal betting would continue, he considered, as shown in New South Wales. .. , Questioned by the chairman (Mr Justice Finlav), Ward said if persistent offenders as bookmakers received only seven days’ gaol, it would result is a great reduction of the number of bookmakers. When in 1910 - bookmaking was abolished in New Zealand, a retinue of guessers, tipsters, and runners disappeared. He could 6ee uo public benefit accruing from the licensing of bookmakers. The bookmakers themselves would be the only ones to benefit. Questioned whether the big betting owners did not bet off the course, too, to keep the dividends up, Ward said they did, but were often disappointed that the divi-, dend was so small, because the; bookmakers had ways and means i of getting money on the totalisa- i tor.

To Dr Mazengarb, he said this would be done by the bookmaker phoning a person he could trust near the course to go and put the money on. The ’big bookmakers stayed off the course.